Has anybody else done anything equally stupid to their old enduros?
I've just ordered a 215mm i2i, 63mm travel Manitou Metal R rear shock from Chainreaction, it will fit and there is movement enough on the rear linkages to accomodate the travel. Should get 163mm!! (The 50mm Fox Float gave 130mm travel) Hope my maths is right.
Hope to get some Marzocchi drop off 150mm forks from somewhere and see how it all goes.
ran 150mm forks and a 5mm longer shock until this happened
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though that was after a life of ragging it! check for cracks first
I've run my 2004 Enduro with Pikes and latterly 150mm Revelations and it hasn't died on me yet.
They are weak around the chainstays though, I've known a few die this way.
The Metel is 215mm (just over 8") eye to eye, which is a massive difference from the 7.625" stock shock. This will raise the BB and steepen the geometry somewhat.
Thanks for your replies.
Yeah, definitely will check for cracks after seeing that. Mine's even the same colour!
It is a massive difference, I've got an old 200mm i2i, 50mm travel, (up from 193mm i2i standard) rear shock, maybe try that first.
Reckon I should use the 215mm shock with a light spring to give it more sag to try and keep the geometry the same.
I just fancy floating over the roots and rocks without spending too much money, mind you breaking the frame...
Just need to get hold of some cheap Marzocchi Drop Offs with 150mm travel.
It's when you start doing things like that that you have to ask yourself "should I actually be getting a new frame instead?".
You're right, If it was meant to run with that suspension they would have beefed it up, or you would have bought a big hit.
mines got a 200 i2i on and 150 talas and is really great to ride 😀
I've run mine with a 200x50 shock and 140mm Talas and it worked well like that.
BETD used to do a 6" travel linkage for them, but I think it retained the existing ahock. I didnt like mine at 140mm with Pikes on, was bit slack.
Thanks for the replies again
Wish I could afford some Talas, kind of limited to £100 to get the forks. 6" travel linkage sounds interesting, I'll have a search, mind you that was possibly 6 years ago.
I think BETD have long run out of those linkages although they may be around on Ebay. The problem is that in the longest travel setting with the stock shock they increased the leverage ratio and according to a couple of people I know who've tried them, they feel a little uncontrolled.
My own Enduro felt great with Pikes, but I do like a slack geometry bike. It feels more or less the same with Revelations but is a good deal lighter.
They are weak around the chainstays though, I've known a few die this way.
Yep, my 2004 S-Works went the same way.
I'd recommend maintaining all moving parts as regularly as possibly, perhaps even more so if you're 'upping' the forks.
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Here's my Enduro with some Rockshox Tora 318s on and an old Vanilla R.
I just fancy floating over the roots and rocks without spending too much money, mind you breaking the frame...
Just need to get hold of some cheap Marzocchi Drop Offs with 150mm travel.
Drop offs do spiking and feeling nasty, not floating.
Quality > quantity
Oh well just bought a pair of Drop Offs, suppose I'll find out.
An adjustable travel set of Revelations is a good fit on an Enduro of that vintage. Mine is down to 27lb these days and feels very sprightly with it.
Here's mine with cheap (sub £100 2nd hand 'cause there is a mark on the stanchion - still working fine though a couple of years on) coil Pikes and a very cheap (£30 from Ebay) pro-pedal Vanilla R.
Worked great like that, and might well return to that spec.
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Revelations and Pikes both good forks so I've heard, the 318 toras, they are adjustable from 90mm to 130mm, were £160 new, think they're even cheaper now, not a bad set of budget forks to be honest. The original Manitou Black Platinums have been leaking from the rebound adjuster under the leg since I bought the bike secondhand and I should really try and get them sorted.
Got some 150mm Drop Offs on now and a 200x57 Fox Vanilla, flipped the rear linkage to lower the BB height too, need to get a slightly stiffer spring on the back, a 600lb I reckon, better still would be trying to soften the drop offs if that's possible, there is air valves ontop of each leg, I'll have a look on the Marzocchi site, to see what's involved.